When Rodney Bennett announced in January his plans to step down as president of the University of Southern Mississippi, it sent somewhat of a shockwave through the university and the community.
But for Joe Paul – who has more than 40 years of service to the school in several capacities – it wasn’t such a surprise when officials from the Institutions of Higher Learning gave him a ring to gauge his interest on becoming interim president. With his love for the university, Paul knew that if he could help the school in any way, he would – and has been preparing for ways to do just that since even before taking over officially on July 18.
“I think presidential leadership’s always important, particularly when you’re in transition, so my intention won’t be to just be a placeholder,” Paul said. “I think there’s some things we can do to make this place even better, and to really have it ready and energized and positive when that new, permanent leader does come along.”
To that end, Paul will look to make an impact immediately, whether his tenure as interim be only one semester, two semesters, or even longer than that. First and foremost, Paul will concentrate on the area of student recruitment, especially since the university’s enrollment has somewhat stalled recently and the country overall is seeing fewer high school graduates.
“But those are just reasons – excuses, if you will,” Paul said. “So you’ve got take what the market bears, and you’ve got to aggressively market this place.
“Southern Miss is too good an institution, with too fine undergraduate and graduate programs, for us too not be bursting at the seams with students. So what we do right now – this fall semester, as we go into high schools and communities and lay out our footprint and scholarship structure – will have everything to do with what the enrollment looks like the next fall. So student recruitment will be my number one priority, and I’ll be personally involved in it, day to day, week to week.”
Next on Paul’s agenda is getting the university’s story out there, whether that be the field of ocean sciences on the Gulf Coast campus, the notoriety of Hattiesburg’s polymer science department, or the colleges of health and nursing professions.
“There are too many great stories here to hide under a bush,” he said. “So I intend to be aggressive personally, in terms of my speaking, and strategically in terms of marketing this university to let people know how great it is.
“This is a distinct place, and Southern Miss is a place that’s always been ‘gritty’ – and what I mean by ‘grit’ is that we’re passionate about where we’re going, and we’re persistent. We never stop at the first ‘no’ at Southern Miss; we’re going to keep pursuing those lofty goals. We’re going to spend this time this semester – or if it goes into next (semester) – in telling that to all of our various constituencies and the public in general.”
The IHL plans to release details on the search for a permanent president in the near future; so far there is no exact timeline for that measure. However, Paul will not participate in that process.
“No sitting president, no interim president, should be (involved in that),” Paul said. “We’ve got plenty to do to get this place ready, and that is both the work of the board of trustees and the Institutions of Higher Learning.
“They formed a committee, and there’s great people on there, and we’ve got great Southern Miss alums (there). They will do that job and do that job well, and I won’t be involved in that process. I’ll be about working here, pushing us forward and having us ready and energized to create a positive culture for that new leader.”
Paul served for 40 years as a Southern Miss student affairs administrator and became vice president for student affairs in February 1993. Prior to that, he served as assistant director of student activities, assistant vice president and dean of student development, as well as holding faculty rank in the university’s College of Education and Psychology.
Paul retired from Southern Miss in 2015, and has since held part-time positions with the USM Foundation, as Citizen Service Coordinator for the City of Hattiesburg and as an executive coach for the Home Business Advisor Group. He currently consults as an executive coach and strategic advisor for the Blue Hen Consulting Agency.
Paul earned a Ph.D. in administration of higher education from the University of Alabama, and was named the university’s Most Outstanding Doctoral Student in the field in 1985. Paul, who is a native of Bay St. Louis, earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and political science from Southern Miss in 1975, when he graduated magna cum laude from the University Honors College.
“There’s no substitute for institutional knowledge when it comes to coming in and leading the university,” Paul said. “I know where the buildings are, I know who the people are and where they are, and I know the strengths and challenges of this place.
“So it really helps me to ramp up very quickly, and not have to learn about the institution before I lead the institution. The other advantage is, I know 40 years’ worth of alumni at Southern Miss, and so I’m going to be out engaging those folks, getting everybody back under the tent, sharing the good news about Southern Miss and encouraging all of our constituencies – students, alumni, faculty, staff, friends – to go out there and share that good news as well.”
In a letter sent out to Southern Miss alumni on June 30, Bennett said he would officially depart the position of the presidency on July 15. Bennett said he settled on that date to allow university officials to begin the transition to a new president sooner rather than later.
“I want to thank President Bennett for his leadership, and nine or 10 years in higher education these days is a pretty good run,” Paul said. “He has left this university in great fiscal shape financially – the Physical Plant, the campus, the plans for the future have never been stronger.
“So we’re not going to deconstruct any of his good work, but I do intend to expand upon it while I’m here.”
